Can and method of sealing same



Dec. 22, 1931. 1, MA MQCLATCHlE 1,837,366

CAN AND METHOD OF SEAL-ING S-ME Filed Aug. 5, 1928 ffvWW/w ATTORNEY v sealing .the'can JOHN ivr. MCGLATGHIE, on NEW YORK, N. Y i 4NEW YORK, N. Y., A coRPoRATroNoE NEW JERSEY Patented Dec. 22, 1931 UNirEnfsrAfTEs PATENT OFFICE.

CAN ANn-METHon `Applifeatip'n 'mea August 3, `192s;

t The invention relates to anjimprovement.V particularly to for *cylindrical* inolosures for cans and more an improvement in closures i l metal cans provided at oneend with a filling hole through which the lfoodV or otherproduct to bepreserved is introduced into the can and to an improved method of `closing and sealing the hole and thereby hermetically more especially with l the two ends or heads are secured or soldered to The invention deals central hole which is `closed and sealed after solder.` If the hole is too, large to be closed by solder only, the hole is, insonne cases, first closed by a metal'cap, after Vwhich the joint between the cap and theedgesof the holeis sealed withsolder; In swag-ed or overlap'ed with the edgesof the hole in such fashion that no solder isneces-V sary to establish a tight joint between them.. These former methods of closing ,and sealing cans of this typeoare objectionable for one or more reasons: If the lilling hole is small enough `to be closedby a dab of solder, it is too'small to permit any but the most liquid food or other material to beintroduced rap idly into Vthe can. If, on the other hand, the filling hole is large enou h to admit the food or other material rapily, Vthe closing and sealing of the hole requires a lengthy opera# tion or the use of expensive apparatus.

' Thev object of the invention is twofold: First, to permit of the use of a lling hole of any desired size by which thecan may be filled with the required rapidity; andV second, to close and` seal the hole, whatever its size, expeditiously and by the useof simple and the cylindrical body portion, one of the heads,calle`d the top,bev d ing provided with a round l the food or other productV has been introducedinto the can of a dab of'melte'dV other cases the cap is` Y., Assis-NOR To THE BoRnEN COMPANY, on.

0E sEALINGsAME t l seriaifNo. 2973330.

inexpensive apparatus. vention conslstsin provldlng a depresslon To this end around the filling holein thetop of the can;

intowhich is forced a slightlylarger than the depression and cut from a sheet'of metal supported in close proximity to the top of the closure is largerthan the depression the act Y of forcing itheclosure into the depression crushes the edges of the closure and the adjacent walls of the depression and therebyestalblishes a tight joint within the can from of the depression, the means forforcing the closure into the depression acts upon the center of the outer facerof the closure, therebyA to assume a convexe-con-A cave shape as it is forcedinto the depressiony the outer Vface `of' the closure beingconcave.

causing the closure Theinvention is more fully described herepiece of sheet metal lbetween'them. In or-v er to prevent any outwardlyacting pressurev forcing the closure out so" can. Inasmuch as the v inafter and is particularly pointed out in the l appended claims. L

he improved can and the method of closing and sealing it are villustrated inthe ac-V companying drawings, in which Figs; l and 2 are, respectively@ top anda sidefelevation (partly in section) of the improved can. Figs. 3, l and5 illustrate diagrammatically the varioussteps of cutting the closure and inserting it into the depression in the top of the can. `And Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the application of solder to the joint between the closureland depression in the top of the can.

In its general features of construction the Y improved can' may have any'usual or preferred' form, the can shown in the'drawings comprising a cylindrical body portion 7 closed at its lower end or bottom by the head `8 and at its upper end or top by the head V9. The joints l0 between the heads 8 .and

9 and the body portion are preferably filled withsolder. In the center of the head or topy end 9 of the can is a roundk hole l1 p aratus through which the product 12 to be preserved is introduced into the can. Surrounding the hole 11, which may be of any desired size depending upon the nature of the material 5: to be introduced into the can, is an annular flange 13 extending inwardly from the lower end of the annular wall 14 formed by depressing the center of the head 9 of the can. The depression constituted or bound by the annular wall 14 and the fiange 13 may be of any desired shape and size. Preferably, however, axialwith the round filling hole 11 located in the center of the head 9.-

The improved closure for closing and sealing the hole 11 when the can has been filled consists of a thin fiat pieceof'metal, pref# erably a disk 15 slightly larger in diameter than the internal diameter of the depression 16 formed bythe annular wall 14. The disk 15 is forced tightly into the depression 16 by a force which causes it to assume a conveXo-concave shape during th'e act of insertion into the depression, as indicated in Figs. 2 5 and 6, and consequently it will be understood that the joint betweenthe outer edges of the` disk 15 and the inner surface of the annular depression 16 engaging the disk is tight and non-leakable.

rlhe method of forming the disk 15 and inserting it into the depression 16 is illustrated in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. In these figures the central portion of the top of the can only is shown and only so much of the apfor cutting the disk and forcing it into the depression as is necessary to understand the steps of the method of closing andv sealing the can. inasmuch as the can is filled with the material to be preserved at the time the filling hole is closed and sealed it isf most convenient to close andseal the hole while the can is in upright position, and that is the position illustrated. After the can has been filled it passes under a die' plate 17 in which is a round openingL 18 slightly larger in diameter than the internal diameter of the depression 16. When the can comes to rest under the die plate the depression 16 is coaxial with the hole-18. On the die plate 17 rests a sheet of metal 19 from which the disk 15 is to be cut. When the can hasfcome to rest a punch 20 alined with the hole'18 descends and cuts a disk 15 from the sheet 19 and pushes it down into the entrance of the depression 16, as indicated in Fig. 4. Thereupon a plunger 21 slidinvly mounted in the punch 20 descends and stri es the center of the upper face of the disk 15, forcing it deeper into the depression 16, as indicated in Fig. 5. The lower, disk engaging end ofthe plunger 21 is enlarged into a head 22, frusto-conica-l in shape, which when the plunger 21 is inoperative is received within a conical opening 23 formed inthelower endof the punch. The diameter ofthe lower it is round and substantially co-` face of the head 22 of the plunger 21 is substantially smaller than the diameter of the disk 15 and consequently as the plunger forces the disk into the depression 16 the disk is caused to assume shape indicated in Figs. 5 and 6, so that outwardly acting pressures within the can will not force the disk 15 out of the depression 16. lit will be understood that any force acting on the convex side of the disk will first tendto straighten the disk and this act will tend to drive the outer edge of the disk into tighter relation with the inner surfaces of the annular wall 14.

Although the joint'established between the outer edges of the disk 15 and the inner surface or sides of the-depression 16 by forcing the disk 15 into the depression is tight and non-'leakable under the great internal pressure in the can, l prefer to insert a bead or fillet ofl solder 24 into the anglev formed between the 'outer edge of the rim ofthe disk 15 and the adjacent part orv mouth 25 of the depression 16, as illustrated in Fig. 6. Any preferred'means maybe employed for forming the fillet of solder andin Fig. 6 is shown a rotating soldering iron 26 and a rod of solder 27 which passes through a guide 28. As the soldering iron 26 rotates thel rod of'solder 27 is brought into contact with the outer surface of its lower end and thereby melted and caused to flow into the angle between the disk 15 and the mouth 25 of the depression.

yHaving thus l claim as new is 1. A metal'can comprising, a body portion and two ends secured to the body portion, one of the ends having a depression with a hole therein, said hole being smaller than the depression so as to leave a ledge in the depression surrounding the hole, and a. thin piece' ofI metal of thel same shape' as and slightly larger than the depression inserted into the depression to rest against and be supported bythe ledge, the edges of the piece of metal tightly engaging the sides of the depression in a. non-leakable joint without the use of solder.

2. A metal can comprising, a body portion and two 'heads' securedto the body portion, one of the heads having a round depression with a hole therein, said hole being smaller than the depression so as to leave a ledge in the depression surrounding the hole, and a convexoconcave disk of metal slightly larger' than the depression inserted into the depression'to rest against and be supported by Vthe ledge with the concave face of the disk outermost, the edges of the disk tightly engaging the sides of the depression in a non'leak`able joint without the use of solder.

3. Ainetal can comprising, a' cylindrical body portion with two ends securedv to the body portion, one' ofv theen'ds having a cenL the conveXo-concave 2^ described-the invention what `'joint Without the use of tra-lly located round depression with a hole therein, said hole being smaller than the de- Y JOHN M. MCCLATGHIE.

the depression to 

